POLICING

The Policing Group of the Criminal Justice Partnership offers cross-disciplinary excellence, in relation to research and knowledge around policing and serious & organised crime. The group offers evidence-based research around real world issues.

There are many opportunities across the subject area of ‘Policing’ (policing includes a variety of local/ national/international law enforcement agencies, public sector agencies, private sector, NGOs, as well as community groups). UCLan Policing Group draws on the strengths of a wide variety of academic disciplines with many members having come from practitioner backgrounds and/or still working as practitioners. This is particularly relevant when thought of in the context of reform, with recent austerity measures affecting ‘policing’ services across the world, increasing the role for innovation and evidence based practice.

Our Policing lead is Professor Stuart Kirby whose first career was in Lancashire Constabulary, divided between uniform and detective posts, including: Head of Intelligence, Head of Uniform & Detective training, Head of Corporate Development and Divisional Commander. During his career he has commanded many overt and covert policing operations as well as being a hostage negotiator. He retired in 2007 as Detective Chief Superintendent in charge of HQ Crime & Operations Division and became a Criminology lecturer (and senior lecturer) at Lancaster University. He moved to UCLan in 2015 as Professor of Policing & Criminal Investigation. Stuart is a registered chartered psychologist and has assisted police forces across the UK as a Behavioural Investigative Advisor (formerly known as an Offender Profiler) on investigations concerning the sexual exploitation of children. He has published in academic, police, and government publications both in the UK and USA and his book ‘Effective Policing: Implementation in theory and practice’ is published by Palgrave MacMillan.

The policing group will concentrate on real world impact by utilising a more integrated relationship with professionals in the field, at the cutting edge of national and international operational development.

This mutually beneficial collaboration brings professionals (with new challenges and methods of working) together with UCLan staff (who bring academic rigour, theory and evidence based approaches).

This will encourage an approach to research that is alive and sympathetic to real world implementation challenges (often disregarded in the academic literature).

Image taken at the International Problem Oriented Policing Conference in Houston, Texas - October 2017.

‘The Stockholm Prize for Criminology’

The Stockholm Prize for Criminology is probably the most prestigious international prize in Criminology. In 2017 it was presented to Professor Herman Goldstein, the instigator of Problem Oriented Policing. Also referred to in the UK as Problem Oriented Partnerships or Problem Solving, this approach has been used by Police agencies and Community Safety practitioners, worldwide since 1990. One of the few policing approaches to be academically evaluated as internationally effective, it proposes that practitioners should analyse re-occuring problems carefully and work together alongside partners to achieve sustainable solutions to problems, rather than constantly reacting to them. It is supported by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, HMIC, College of Policing, and the Home Office. UCLan (Policing) has a proven track record in teaching and researching this approach, having taught this subject within its curriculum for many years. Further, Professor Stuart Kirby is a twice winner of the UK (Tilley) award and in 2017, in conjunction with Lancashire Constabulary staff was a finalist for the international (Goldstein) award. On his website Professor Herman Goldstein cites Professor Kirby amongst 11 international experts in this field (see www.hermangoldstein.com ). On this website there is a copy of the 2017 submissions of which Lancashire’s is one.

We publish high quality research in peer-reviewed international academic journals. Our publications range from professional commentaries and opinion pieces, to reports for industry and government bodies, to full academic research papers.

This conference was jointly organised by the CJP and Lancashire Women’s Centres, with a focus upon female offenders within the Criminal Justice System. The event was opened by Amanda Greenwood, who is the new CEO of Lancashire Women’s Centres, with presentations delivered by Mahala McGuffie (Governor, HMP Styal), Dr. Michelle McManus and Dr. Rebecca Coleman (UCLan Policing), Angela Lucas (Clinks), Vickie Barritt and Karen Carter (Lancashire Women’s Centre). Key themes emerging from these presentations included the diverse needs of female offenders, the lack of research that focuses upon identifying and managing such needs, as well as the importance of through the gate services and enabling women to have a sense of community and belonging.

During the conference, delegates had the opportunity to learn from key advocates about current priorities for services to women, as well as discuss the future direction of female services with academics, key agencies, partners and service users. The conference was held at Westleigh Conference Centre and was attended by a diverse range of individuals, including the Police, National Probation Service, local councils and third sector organisations.

Professor David Kennedy (John Jay University, New York) visited UCLan in February 2017 as part of the Distinguished Visitor Programme.

In February 2017 we were pleased to host two Policing events as part of UCLan’s Distinguished Visitors Programme. As part of this programme we were visited by Professor David Kennedy Director of the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City from John Jay College, New York. Professor David Kennedy’s work focuses on reducing violence, minimising arrest and incarceration, and strengthening relationships between law enforcement and distressed communities.

As part of Professor Kennedy’s visit, a public lecture on ‘Focussed Crime Prevention’ was hosted, with attendees coming from the university, local police forces, charities and councils. During the lecture, Professor Kennedy talked about how a common-sense form of engagement, with small numbers of exceptionally high-risk people, can reliably produce substantial reductions in serious violence. Following on from this, a half-day conference, ‘Rethinking Engagement: early intervention with victims, offenders and the community’, was also held at UCLan. The conference was designed to promote ideas in how better policing/community safety outcomes can be realised through more creative partnerships, utilising the public and private sector, as well as local communities. The speakers at the conference were Professor Kennedy, Professor Kirby (UCLan), Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary and National Police Chief Lead for Crime Operations Mike Barton and Dr Andrew Fisher, Associate Lecturer at Liverpool Hope and John Moores Universities.

Focused Crime Prevention

A developing body of academic and applied work shows that a remarkably simple and common-sense form of engagement with small numbers of exceptionally high-risk people can reliably produce substantial reductions in serious violence. Kennedy will present the theoretical framework and explore applications in gang violence, domestic violence, drug markets, and other settings.